Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at release of financial assistance under PMAY – Gramin to beneficiaries in UP
Congratulations to all of you, especially mothers and sisters. Very soon, you are going to get your own home, your dream home. A few days back, the sun entered Uttarayan. It is said that this time is propitious for good wishes. If you get money to build your home during this auspicious time, the joy swells further. Just a few days ago, the country launched the world's largest corona vaccine campaign. Now this is something which is going to pep up enthusiasm. I had the opportunity to interact with all of you. You also expressed your feelings and gave blessings; and I could see jubilation and satisfaction on your faces. A great dream of a great life was being fulfilled. I could see this in your eyes. Your happiness and comfortable life will be the biggest blessing for me and I congratulate all the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -- Gramin once again.
Joining me in this event are the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel ji, our cabinet colleague, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar ji, the illustrious Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath ji, the Minister of Rural Development of Uttar Pradesh, Mahendra Singh ji, all these beneficiaries, brothers and sisters from different villages. Today is also the birth anniversary of the tenth guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji. On this auspicious occasion, I bow down to Guru Gobind Singh Saheb. I also extend my heartfelt greetings to all my countrymen on the occasion. It has been my privilege that Guru Sahib has been very kind to me. Guru Sahib has been taking continuous services from this servant. While treading on the path of service and truth, we also get the motivation to face the greatest challenge from the life of Guru Gobind Singh ji. "सवा लाख से एक लड़ाऊँ, चिड़ियों से मैं बाज लड़ाऊँ, तबे गोबिंदसिंह नाम कहाऊँ"  this indomitable spirit comes from courage, service and the power of truth. The country is moving forward on the path shown by Guru Gobind Singh ji. Unprecedented work is taking place in the country today to serve and change the lives of the poor, the victim, the exploited and the deprived.
Five years ago, I had the privilege of launching the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana from Agra in UP. In such a short span, the scheme has started changing the picture of the villages of the country. The expectations and dreams of crores of people are linked with this scheme. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has also assured the poorest of the poor that “yes, if not today, I can also have my own home tomorrow”.
Friends,
I am also happy that UP is among those states in the country where houses for the poor in villages are being built at a very fast pace. This event is an example of this speed. Today, about Rs. 2700 crore rupees have been transferred directly to the bank accounts of more than six lakh families of UP. These include more than five lakh families who have received their first installment to build houses. That is, the wait for more than five lakh rural families is going to be over today. Today is a great day for all of you and auspicious also, I can understand and feel. This gives me a sense of satisfaction and inspires me to do more for the poor. Similarly, today, there are 80,000 families who are getting the second installment of their house. Now the next winter will not be so harsh for your family. You will also have your own home in the next winter, and there will be facilities at home.
Friends,
The connection of Atmanirbhar Bharat is directly related to the confidence of the citizens of the country. And home is a system; it is a dignified gift that enhances a person’s confidence manifold. If you have your own house, there is a certainty. He feels that even if there are some ups and downs in life, house will always be there for help. He feels that when he has built a house, he will also banish his poverty one day. But we have seen the situation which was prevalent during the earlier governments. I am particularly talking about Uttar Pradesh. The poor did not believe that the government could also help him build a house. The earlier housing schemes, the level of houses that were built under them, are also not hidden from anyone. The fault was with wrong policies, but my poor brothers and sisters had to suffer in the name of ‘destiny’. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -- Gramin was launched in order to relieve the poor living in the villages from this problem and to provide pucca roof to them. The country had set a target of providing pucca houses to every poor family by the 75 years of independence. In order to meet this target, about two crore houses have been built only in rural areas over the years. Even under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana alone, the keys of about 1.25 crore houses have been given to the people. About 1.5 lakh crore rupees have been sanctioned by the central government alone to build these houses.
Friends,
I am reminded of some old memories when it comes to the housing scheme in Uttar Pradesh. When the earlier government was there, later you removed it, I remember, in 2016, we launched this scheme and there were so many difficulties. So many letters were written to the previous government from my office on behalf of the Government of India requesting them to send the names of the poor beneficiaries so that we could send money to their accounts under this scheme. We were ready to send the money. But all the letters of the central government, all the requests during meetings were ignored. The poor of UP have not forgotten the behaviour of that government even today. Today it is the result of the promptness of Yogi ji's government, the hard work of his entire team that the pace of housing scheme work has also changed and so has the ways. Under the scheme, about 22 lakh rural houses are to be constructed in UP. Out of these, more than 21.5 lakh houses have already been sanctioned. In such a short time, 14.5 lakh poor families in the villages of UP have also got their pucca houses. And it gives me pleasure today that most of the work of the CM housing scheme in UP has been done during the tenure of this government.
Friends,
The history of housing schemes in our country is decades old. Earlier also, the poor needed good and affordable houses. But the experience of those schemes has been very bad for the poor. So, when the Central Government was working on this housing scheme four-five years ago, we paid special attention to get rid of all those mistakes and wrong policies and to find new ways and policies. And it was also decided that the poor in the villages, who had given up hopes of home, who had assumed that the life would be spent on footpaths and huts, should be the first to get these houses. So, their worry was our first priority. Secondly, we said that there should be complete transparency in allocation, no nepotism, no vote bank, no caste and no out-of-the-turn beneficiary. Poor deserve it first. Thirdly, the dignity, the self-esteem and the right of women and, therefore, it was decided to provide houses to women and they should be its rightful owners. Fourthly, the construction of the houses should be monitored through technology. The houses should just not be made of bricks and stones. We also had the goal that the houses should not have just four walls; they should have all the facilities so that one can live the life in a true sense. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, these houses are being given to families who did not have their own pucca houses, who were living in huts or ramshackle houses. These include common artisans of villages, our daily wage labourers and farm labourers. The marginal farmers living in villages and who have a Bigha or two Bighas of land will be largely benefited. There are also a large number of landless farmers in our country who somehow survive. Their generations passed away, they continued to feed the country with their hard work, but they could not arrange for pucca houses and roofs. Today, all such families are also being identified and linked to this scheme. These houses are also becoming a major medium for empowerment of women in rural areas as most of the houses are being allotted in the name of women of the house. Those who do not have land are also being given land lease. The most important part of the entire campaign is that the money is being deposited directly to the bank accounts of the poor whose houses are being built. The Centre and the UP government are constantly making efforts to ensure that no beneficiary has any problem and he does not become a victim of corruption.
Friends,
Today, the country is trying to bridge the gap between villages and cities as far as basic amenities are concerned. The life for the common man and the poor in the village should be as comfortable as it is in big cities. That is why the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is also being linked to basic amenities like toilets, electricity, water, etc. Electricity connections, gas connections, toilets, all these are being given along with the houses. The country is now running the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' to provide piped clean water to villages. The aim is that no poor has to suffer or run around for basic facilities.
Brothers and sisters,
Another initiative which is helping the people of our villages is the Pradhan Mantri ‘Swamitva Yojana’ and I want the people to take full advantage of it. In the days to come, the scheme is going to change the fortunes of the people living in the villages of the country. And UP is one of the earliest states in the country where this Pradhan Mantri ‘Swamitva Yojana' has been implemented and work is going on in villages. Under this scheme, the people living in the villages are being given the ownership titles after measuring their lands and houses through technology. Nowadays, drones are surveying and mapping is being done in thousands of villages of UP so that your property is registered in your name in government records. After this scheme, the land disputes in the villages will be over. The biggest advantage would be that you would be able to secure a bank loan whenever you want by showing your village property. And you know that the property which is entitled to bank loan always fetches better prices. That is, the Swamitva Yojana will now have a good impact on the prices of houses and lands in the village. This scheme is going to empower crores of our poor brothers and sisters in villages. The work has also been completed in more than 8,500 villages in UP. The digital certificates that people are getting after the survey is being called “Gharoni” in UP. I am told that more than 51,000 Gharoni certificates have been distributed and very soon one lakh people of our villages are also going to get these Gharoni certificates.
Friends,
Today, when so many schemes are being available in the villages, these are not only increasing facilities, but the rural economy is also getting momentum. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, more than 60,000 kms of rural roads have been built in UP. These roads are also becoming a medium of development as well as making the lives of the village people easier. You see, there were so many youngsters in villages who learnt a little bit of masonry work, but they did not get that much opportunity. Now so many opportunities for masons have been created after so many houses and roads are being built. The government is also training skill development for the same. Thousands of youths have also been trained in UP. And now women are also building houses as masons. Employment opportunities have also opened for them. With so much work being done, there has been requirement of cement, rods, building material shops and other services and the demand is also increasing. This has also given employment to the youth. Just a few months ago, the country launched another campaign which is going to benefit the people of our villages. The campaign is to provide fast-paced Internet to more than six lakh villages in the country. Under this campaign, optical fibre will be laid in lakhs of villages. This will also create new employment opportunities for the people of villages.
Friends,
This period of corona impacted the entire country, the entire world, humanity, every person, but Uttar Pradesh did not let its efforts for development stop, continued the work and proceeded at a fast pace. UP has been appreciated for the safe homecoming of our migrant friends. UP has generated employment of 10 crore man days under the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan, and has achieved the first position in the country. This resulted in rural people getting employment in the villages itself and their lives became comfortable.
Friends,
Today, everyone from east to west and from Awadh to Bundelkhand is realizing the work that is happening in UP to make the life of the common man easier. Whether it is the Ayushman Bharat Scheme or the National Nutrition Mission, Ujjwala Yojana or the Ujala scheme, millions of cheaper LED bulbs are also saving people's money and making their lives easier. The speed with which UP has taken forward the central government schemes in the last four years has given a new identity and trajectory to UP. Strictness on criminals and rioters on the one hand and control of law and order on the other, the fast-moving work of several expressways on the one hand and on the other institutions like AIIMS, Meerut Expressway and the Bundelkhand-Ganga Expressway will accelerate the pace of development in UP. That is why, today, several big companies are also coming in UP, and avenues are also open for small industries. Local artisans have once again started getting the work due to the 'One District One Product' scheme of UP. The self-reliance of local artisans, poor and the labourers living in our villages will also meet the goal of Armanirbhar Bharat and the houses which have been given under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will serve as a great force for them.
May the period after Uttarayan usher in fulfilling dreams of your life! House itself is a very big system. Now see, the lives of children will change, their schooling will change and there will be new self-confidence. And my good wishes to all of you for this. I express my heartiest gratitude to all the mothers and daughters who have blessed me and thank you very much.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.